Do The Right Thing
by BathshebaRocks
Summary: Written for the WhenTwoWrongsMakeaRight Challenge. When Luna Garza finds herself in trouble, she can think of only one person to turn to. Sookie returns to Dallas, but events lead to a test of character with unexpected consequences for the shifter.


**Do the Right Thing**

**Written for the Two Wrongs Make a Right challenge.**

**Characters: **

**Mr Cataliades (the demon lawyer)**

**Luna Garza (the shape shifter from Dallas)**

**Plus supporting characters from the SVM universe, who all belong to Charlaine Harris of course.**

**GaijinVamp did a wonderful job of beta-ing this story, but any mistakes are all mine.**

**Summary:**

_**The 'Two Wrongs Make a Right challenge' was created by Miss Construed, Thyra10 and Sapfirerose to get some airplay for the SVM characters who are overlooked in most Fan Fiction. **_

_**I have to stress that I didn't choose these characters, they chose me! The amazing name generator at the alexanderskarsgardlibrary gives you a male and female character at random: the challenge is to create a story to bring them together. **_

_**This is written from Luna's point of view. **__**For context, read it as an out-take from my story 'Secrets and Lies'. Luna Garza is in trouble and is forced to call on one of the few people she knows who may have enough influence to help her out.**_

She didn't even recognize my voice. I'd saved her life and the bitch didn't even remember me. I'd have to spell it out. _Pinche Gringos_, how I hated them. They behaved as if they had some superior right to be in this country and none of the rest of us did.

"It's Luna, Luna Garza. You remember, from the Fellowship church in Dallas."

I'd seen her often since then. She was getting a lot of attention, her and that blond Vampire she'd married. They were always in the celebrity magazines. I'd even seen her on TV. A powerful Vampire like him was bound to be rich, and she was probably doing okay herself. Why should I feel bad about asking for help?

"Luna, of course. I'm sorry, I didn't recognize your voice at first."

_Liar_

"How're you doing?"

_Pretty shit actually, but I'm not going to let you know that._

"Uh, not too bad. I am in a little bit of trouble right now, and I wondered if you might be able to help me out. I didn't want to bother you, but I don't know who else to call." It wasn't the most subtle of approaches but I didn't see the point of trying to make things seem better than they were. Luckily she didn't seem phased by my bluntness.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Well the thing is I need a lawyer, and I don't have any good contacts locally. Since the trouble at the Fellowship, I'm not exactly in the good books of the local community."

I left the words _'thanks to you'_ unsaid, but she was a clever girl, she would pick up the bitterness in my voice. She had the sense not to react.

"I only know two lawyers. I'm pretty sure Sid Matt Lancaster won't be much use to you, he hates Supes, so that leaves Mr Cataliades. He's a demon."

"I don't mind how bad he is, as long as he can get me off this charge."

"Sorry, I didn't make myself clear, he really is a Demon."

"Fine, whatever, as long as you think he will help me." I wasn't going to ask her for the money I needed yet, but the next part was going to be difficult. "It's a little hard for me to get out of Dallas right now. Do you think there's any chance he would come here to see me."

To my surprise she answered without hesitation: "I'll fly down as soon as I can, I'll let you know as soon as I have a flight and a hotel."

"Thank you, Mrs Northman, I really appreciate it." I tried my hardest to sound like it was the truth.

I put the phone down with a sigh. I was renting a room above a Tex-Mex restaurant on Buckner Boulevard. It wasn't much more than a store-room really, but I'd kitted it out with some basic furniture. It had a sink, and I could use the employee washroom downstairs. The main thing was it was free in exchange for washing up shifts. The down side was the all pervading smell of grease and chilli, day and night.

I felt awfully sorry for myself. I wasn't how I'd expected my life to pan out. I knew I was never going to make it as a movie star, not with my looks. I thought I might get a decent job, rent a nice apartment, maybe meet a guy. I don't have a lot to offer, but I hadn't expected to end up quite so beaten.

As far as most Supes were concerned, shifters were pretty far down the pecking order. Full blooded Fairies considered themselves the true aristocracy of the Supernatural world. At the rate they were dying out, that seemed fair enough to me. Vampires looked down on everyone else. The Weres had a very grudging respect for Vampires but despised other shifters.

Even within the shifter community there was a definite hierarchy: the larger the animal you could shift into, the more respect you received. As a bat, that left me just about at the bottom of the pile. The others generally looked at me the way a Mexican would regard a Guatemalan. That was how I ended up with all the shitty jobs, like infiltrating the Fellowship Church. So if you think I'm bitter, I think I've got good reason to be.

Sookie called me the next morning. She'd gotten a flight and would be arriving early evening. We arranged to meet at eight in the bar of the Rosewood Mansion.

Naturally Sookie Northman could afford to stay in one of Dallas' most expensive hotels. She was on her cellphone when I sat down. I ignored the snooty look I got from the waitress, who clearly didn't believe that I had a meeting with such a glamorous guest. Sookie was so engrossed in her conversation that she didn't acknowledge me at first.

"I'm sorry sweetie," she was saying, "but I did leave you a note, and this is an emergency. Luna came through for me when I needed her, and I owe her big time. I should only be here overnight. I'll call you later to let you know what's happening." There was a pause then: "Love you too baby."

She rolled her eyes as she came off the phone and acknowledged my presence. "Honestly, men can be pathetic sometimes. One little disruption to his routine and he has a hissy fit."

She stood up and, to my surprise, gave me a big hug. At least she didn't go through the pretence of telling me I looked good: that would have really pissed me off. My skin looked terrible, I had bags under my eyes, and I hadn't even taken the trouble to dress up. It was really no surprise that the hotel staff had treated me as if I was some kind of a bag lady.

"What do you need? Tell me the story"

I told her all about it. How I'd had to take a minimum wage job as an orderly at the Mesquite Community Hospital. How one day there had been a mix up over some drugs, and an elderly lady had died. Normally no-one would notice what happened to someone like her in that hospital, but this lady had a son who was a hot-shot young lawyer. When she was alive he'd done little to care for her, but now he was feeling the guilt for his neglect and decided to take it out on someone. That someone had turned out to be me.

I knew it wasn't my fault. I'd put everything back in its correct place when I'd had to do the deep clean of the pharmacy. I wasn't stupid; I knew what the consequences of a mistake could be. Unfortunately for me, the accident happened a few days after the cleaning so I was an easy culprit to pick on.

She was thoughtful for a while. She took my hand and looked at me. I felt like I was being judged, but not in an unkind way. I've told other people my story and they had that look that makes it clear they didn't believe me. She didn't have that, which I was grateful for. After several minutes of silence she finally spoke.

"Lets go to my room, I'll call Mr Cataliades and see if he will take your case."

I was expecting her to have a fancy suite, but her room wasn't very different from the hundreds I had cleaned in one of my many dead end jobs as a hotel chambermaid. I found myself unconsciously looking for specks of dust – some habits die hard I guess. I sat in the armchair while she made the call. I have excellent hearing, so I could hear his side of the conversation as well.

His first reaction was suspicious, "Are you sure about this Mrs Northman. You know I don't normally deal with criminal negligence cases or employment law. Besides, how do you know she's telling the truth?"

Her reply was firm, which made me feel a lot better, "I like to think I can judge when people are telling the truth. I get enough people trying to rip me off to be able to tell the difference. Besides, she risked herself to help me when I was desperate."

"As it is you, my dear, I will come to Dallas and meet with her. I'll need to see how strong the case is though, before I decide whether to take it. I should be able to get there tomorrow evening."

"I guess you heard all that," she said, with a rueful smile. "I'll stay in town for a couple of days longer in case you need any help from me.

"Your husband won't like that." From what I'd read about him, he seemed a pretty possessive kind of guy. I regretted the words as soon as they were out of my mouth. She was really coming through for me, and here I was being a bitch to her. It's hard to break the habit of a lifetime.

She shrugged, and gave me the kind of look that made it clear that she expected him to deal with it. "No, he won't, but he can live with it. I'll check out if they have any Vampire friendly rooms here, maybe he can come down and join me. Now are you hungry, because I am starving."

I was going to deny it, but my stomach gave it away. "As long as it's not Tex-Mex."

We made small talk over supper, it's not exactly as if our lives have much in common. She told me a little of what to expect from my Demon lawyer. He was deceptively clever, and very good at spotting lies, which I think she meant as a warning to me. He was sensitive about his height, or lack of it. Somehow I didn't think that was something I would be picking up on, he would probably still tower over me. He was kind she said, I could do with some kindness right now. All in all, I left feeling a lot more positive, and even looking forward to the next evening, when I would meet the man I hoped would be my saviour.

It turned out that the Rosewood had several Vampire friendly suites. They didn't make a big deal of it and their guests were expected to be discreet. There were none of the blood donors you found in the Carmilla. It meant they could charge top dollar, and you certainly got your money's worth. Sookie's husband arrived the next evening and they had moved into one of the finest suites in the place. You could have housed two medium sized families in there.

As soon as I entered I was overwhelmed by the smell of sex: hot, passionate and very recent sex. Sookie had answered the door still in her robe. Her hair was still mussed up, not yet combed out. "Luna, honey, you're earlier than I expected. I was just going to have a shower. Make yourself at home, there are drinks in the minibar."

I was helping myself to a Dos Equis when I sensed another presence in the room. I turned round to find the dark and brooding form of Eric Northman looming over me. He must have been twice my height, so the effect was kind of like being a small child again, in trouble with the School Principal.

"Miss Garza," his voice was smooth, but with an undercurrent of menace, "I understand that you are responsible for dragging us all the way down here."

He was definitely pissed off. I didn't think that being alone in a room with an unhappy vampire was going to be good for my health, but I was determined not to show any fear.

"Yeah, well I was also responsible for rescuing her from the Fellowship, don't forget." I wasn't going to let some _gabacha_ vampire intimidate me, even if he could eat me up as a pre-dinner snack.

"Touché." He laughed loudly and most of the tension left the room. He took a seat on the couch, and motioned to me to take the armchair. He had slipped into downtime by the time Sookie rejoined us. She was dressed in simple black slacks and a white sleeveless blouse. I wished I could look that good without even trying. Damn woman had everything.

"Mr Cataliades will be here in a few minutes. Eric and I have to visit with Stan Davies; it's the protocol. You can explain everything to Mr C and he'll have some ideas on what to do next. Just let yourselves out when you've finished, okay. I'll call you in the morning to check how it went."

I smiled in thanks, and she reached out to take my hand. "Luna, "she said in a quiet voice, "my life isn't perfect you know. It's good, but it's not perfect, so you really have no need to be jealous."

I don't know how anyone could fail to be jealous of the look Eric Northman gave his wife as he draped his arm around her shoulder to steer her out of the room. Life is so not fair, whatever she might say.

Only a few moments after they left there was a knock at the door. I stood on tip toe to check out the peep hole, but the person the other side didn't appear to be much taller than me. I could only see the top of his head.

I'd never met a demon before, so I had no idea what to expect. It certainly wasn't the man who arrived. I'd expected someone more, well, devilish. Mr Cataliades was very round: round face, round body. His expression as he greeted me was sympathetic, and unlike most people it didn't feel that he was patronising me. It helped of course that we were actually at eye level. The last time I had been eye level with anything it had been a wolf. I couldn't honestly say he was handsome, but I thought that Sookie had been right when she said he was kind.

"Would like to join me downstairs for a drink, my dear?"

"I'd rather talk in private first, if you don't mind. I can get you something from the minibar if you like, I'm sure Soo…Mrs Northman wouldn't mind."

He nodded in agreement, and we each took an armchair. I had to stifle a laugh. We both made the chairs look giant size, our legs hanging helplessly over the side, not quite reaching the floor.

"Mrs Northman has told me a little of the background. I have to say it is not the kind of case I normally take, but she was most insistent that I should help you. She was also insistent that all the bills are sent to her, so please don't worry about taking up my time."

I thought briefly about protesting, but what was the point. At least I wouldn't have the humiliation of having to ask her for money. I felt a twinge of guilt for the evil things I'd thought about her.

"Now, if we assume that you were not responsible for the mix-up, do you have any idea who might have been?"

I'd thought a lot about that, believe me, during the many sleepless nights I'd spent listening to the crashing of dishes and the swearing of the kitchen staff.

"There was a nurse who mainly cared for the old lady. She seemed real professional though. Then there was the healthcare assistant, Maria Sitges. I didn't like her, but then she didn't like me much either. She was only working there to save money for a breast enhancement, she had some ridiculous idea of making it as a model. If I had to suggest anyone, I would say it was her. The odd thing was, when the old lady's son came to visit, which wasn't often, she was nice as pie. The rest of the time she was a real bitch."

"That is suggestive. The problem is to get some evidence. I have an investigator who can find out if there is anything suspicious about her background. I do have an idea of another way to get evidence, but we'll have to discuss that with Mrs Northman."

After we'd finished discussing the case we moved onto small talk. Somehow we never did leave the suite for the bar. He was genuinely interested in my life. I managed to focus on the bright side for a change. After all, the guy was going to help me, he didn't deserve to be drowned in my lake of self-pity. I even managed to make him laugh a few times. I liked the way his round face crinkled up when he laughed. He would never be handsome but it gave him character.

He told me a little of his life. He certainly had a complicated family with half brothers and sisters all over. Apparently it's rare for a Demon to have full brothers or sisters because most women can only give birth to one of their kind.

We were so engrossed in our conversation that we only realised that Eric and Sookie were back when they stepped into the room.

"How was Stan Davis?" I asked, making small talk, trying to put off the conversation I really needed to have.

"Oh you know," she shrugged. "It's weird Luna, I'm sure Vampires don't have testosterone any more, but they sure behave as if they are full of it. You should have seen the Alpha Male posturing going on. It didn't help that he had out of town visitors; Arizona I think they said. That made Stan and Eric even worse, both trying to outdo each other to show who was the most powerful."

"Sookie, I have a real big favour to ask you. I'll understand if you say 'no' but Mr C thinks it will help find out the truth."

"Well go ahead, what does Mr C want me to do?" She was smiling so I plunged on in.

"He thinks my case is very weak. The evidence against me is circumstantial and no-one else is suspected. If someone has set me up for this all they have to do is let slip that I'm a shifter and I'm fucked, no-one will believe me. The only hope is to try to identify who the real culprit it."

She had a look on her face that made it clear she knew what was coming next, but she motioned to me to carry on. I realised that the vampire had fallen silent and was also watching me intently.

"Mr Catialides suggested…well, he thought…..maybe if you wouldn't mind…."

Eventually she tired of my hesitation. "He thinks I should get admitted to the hospital to see if I can find out who the true culprit was."

"No, I forbid it, I will not let you put yourself at risk again. Certainly not for…" Eric had crossed the room in an instant and was by her side. She put her hand up to his mouth to prevent him finishing his sentence.

"Eric, it's a little community hospital. I just have to get admitted for an overnight stay. How hard can it be?"

How hard? Did she really think she was still a small town waitress? I looked at her. She had changed so much since we last met. Even taking into account on that terrible night when we met she had just escaped from imprisonment and attempted rape, and we ended up in a car crash.

"I'm not sure it will be that easy. It's a very small hospital, it's mainly for the local neighbourhood. They don't have an awful lot of rich white women queuing up for admission."

She had that look now that wealthy women have. Their clothes don't come from Walmart. They have their hair done every week, and are never seen in public without a full manicure and pedicure. It gives them a certain presence that is unmistakeable. That and the glowing complexion that can only come from drinking vampire blood meant she could never be mistaken for an ordinary woman again.

She looked hopefully at Eric, as if willing him to come up with an idea.

He was thoughtful for a while. Eventually he spoke. "I have a suggestion. Say you needed to be admitted to hospital for some blood tests, but you didn't want the press to find out, that could be an excuse."

It sounded feeble to me, but I didn't have a better idea.

"How can I make sure our suspect is the one who nurses me?"

"I find a combination of glamour and bribery is normally effective," Eric said smugly. He was getting surprisingly enthusiastic about the whole enterprise.

"Fine, that's our plan then. Don't worry Luna. We'll be in contact as soon as we get something." Sookie sounded confident as she brushed my cheek with a goodbye kiss.

Mr Cataliades offered me a ride home. It turned out he had a limo with a driver. I'd never ridden in one before, except as a joke for someone's bachelorette party. He had a supply of snacks in the back – Cheetos were his favorites - and champagne. I'm not sure we took the most direct route, as the journey took much longer than normal. We were so engrossed in conversation that I hardly noticed; just like I didn't notice at first that his hand was covering mine. I didn't pull away.

Okay, he's not exactly my type, but he is kinda sweet, and rich. I thought about that a lot as I returned to the reality of my shabby, lonely room.

I didn't hear from anyone for a couple of days. The waiting almost drove me crazy, but I knew there was nothing I could do. I did get through a hell of a lot of washing up.

I'd started to give up hope, when something made me look up from my sink. Mr Cataliades had come in through the employee's entrance. He was positively bouncing with excitement.

"I have good news my dear, when can you get away?"

I looked at the pile of dishes; I had about thirty minutes worth.

"Let me help you then."

To my amazement he took off his fancy jacket, rolled up the sleeves of his expensive shirt and set to work. He hummed a little tune as we established a rhythm between us. There was something about his presence that made me feel good, I realised. Somehow I was comfortable with him, however strange he looked. It was a long time since I had felt that.

It only took me a few minutes to change into something a bit more presentable and they we were back in the limo and off to central Dallas. Someone had pushed a note under my door, but I didn't have time to read it, I just shoved it in my purse to check out later.

To my astonishment as soon as we were comfortable on the back seat he leant over and kissed me. Only on the cheek, but I wasn't expecting it.

"What was that for?"

"Everything has gone exceedingly well. Sookie discovered that your surgically enhanced friend was indeed responsible for the mix up. It was no accident though. She waited till after the deep clean so she could put the blame on you."

I felt my hands tense into fists. _The evil witch_, I thought.

"It turns out she was dating the old lady's son. She might have seemed poor but she had a fortune hidden away and he wanted to get his hands on it. We have photos to prove their relationship, and evidence of the money he transferred to her. I think it's everything we need."

This time it was my turn to kiss him. I went for the mouth, and to my surprise he responded. For a short guy he wasn't at all a bad kisser. In fact he was hot, and I mean that in every sense. My mouth felt as if it was burning up. Eventually I had to pull away and get a drink.

"We are a little toxic I'm afraid. It makes some things a little…difficult."

I felt sorry for him, all of a sudden. I realised that the reason I felt so comfortable with him was because of the underlying loneliness we both felt.

"That's okay," I tried to sound reassuring. "I'm sure there are ways round it."

"I can't date you while you're a client. It would be unethical." The disappointment in his voice surprised me.

I wasn't sure I'd been suggesting dating, but now he mentioned it the idea didn't seem so bad after all. "I understand, but you know, when its all over, if you'd like to…" my voice tailed off.

"I would like to very much indeed," he said enthusiastically, taking my hand and kissing it for as long as he could until it started to sizzle.

I was disappointed to realise that we were approaching the hotel.

"What was your note?" he asked as he helped me down from the limo.

I looked at him blankly, then remembered the note I'd shoved in my purse. I got it out and read it in reception while we were waiting. Mr Cataliades was checking through some paperwork, which was a relief, as my face must have shown the shock I felt as I took in the contents.

"Who was it from?" He asked casually.

"Just my landlord, well boss really, asking me to do some extra shifts."

He raised an eyebrow; he suspected something even though I was doing my best to keep a straight face.

The note was anonymous. It offered me a $250,000 if I would deliver Sookie Northman, unaccompanied, to a public place during daylight hours. I wondered at first if it was a hoax of some kind. I know I should have just screwed the note up and thrown it away. How could I even think of doing such a thing to someone who had helped me out?

It was an awful lot of money though. I could live off that much money for years, start a new life somewhere, or at the very least buy myself an apartment. If it turned out to be a hoax, where was the harm? If I went along with it I couldn't see how anyone would make the link to me. I was insignificant after all, the kind of person no-one ever noticed, no-one ever really cared about. Sookie Northman probably saw me as some kind of charity case. She would have a good laugh with her friends back in Shreveport, how she had helped out the poor pathetic Latino shifter.

Of course I'd seen and heard enough about some of the things going on in the vampire community to know that it wouldn't end well for Sookie. There had been a whole series of strange disappearances and inexplicable murders, all creating an atmosphere of suspicion and paranoia. So far they were only a problem for the Vamps though so most shifters and Weres didn't pay much attention to them.

I ran the options over and over in my mind as we took the lift and walked along the top floor corridor to their suite.

The three of us drank champagne, while Eric sipped on a Royalty Blend. Sookie told us the full story of how she had found out the truth. She'd had no trouble being admitted, with the promise of a donation to the hospital's charitable fund. It seemed nowadays people would believe anything they were told if it concerned a celebrity, and she was right up there on the A-list now.

Eric hadn't had to use any tricks to get Maria Sitges to take on Sookie's care, she had taken one look at him and made sure she got the gig. That made me laugh. Old Mrs Prior's son had paid a lot of money for a first class whore as far as I could see.

Naturally, considering the no-account trash she was, Maria was obsessed with Sookie Northman and her celebrity status. It had been no trouble to engage her in conversation, and as she wasn't the brightest tool in the box it wasn't hard to get her to give herself away.

"I hope you consider my wife's debt fully discharged." Eric's tone made it clear that he did not expect to be contradicted.

"Eric," Sookie interrupted him, "it's not like that, I don't count my favors out one by one. If someone I care about needs my help, I will help them."

"Shifters do though," he responded dismissively, "isn't that right Miss Garza. The obligation to return a favor is absolute, but once discharged no further bond exists."

I had to acknowledge that he was right, that was the custom of the shifter community. Looking back I realized that it was that conversation that helped me make up my mind what to do.

"When will you be heading back to Louisiana?" I asked trying to sound casual.

"Tomorrow night I guess." Sookie replied, looking at Eric for confirmation.

I would have to take the opportunity now, or lose it forever: "I'm not working tomorrow daytime. Perhaps I could treat you to lunch as a thank you."

"Sure, that would be nice, could we make it a late lunch though, say three o'clock." Sookie shot a glance at her husband, one which made it quite clear how she expected to spend most of the night.

I could tell that she had a good night, as she was glowing even more than usual when I met her at the hotel reception the next afternoon. "There's a change of plan," she said cheerfully, "I think we both deserve a little treat don't you. I've booked us in at the spa for a couple of hours. We can have an early supper afterwards, then Eric will collect me to head off for the Airport. Does that sound okay to you?"

"Sure," I said with as much enthusiasm as I could manage. "I just need to make a quick call, if that's okay."

She tactfully moved out of range to allow me some privacy.

I liked her a lot better after an hour together in the spa. It made me wish even more that we didn't need to go through with the plan. There was so much potential for things to go wrong and someone to get hurt.

The years she'd spent being treated as a freak and an object of pity had left their mark. I got the feeling that all the money and celebrity in the world could never fully erase them. Don't get the idea that it was some kind of pity-party though, we had a good laugh at the expense of some of the people who had pissed us off over the years.

The spa treatment was so relaxing that I only felt the first hint of tension in the minutes before the plan was due to be executed. With my acute hearing, I easily picked up the raised voices outside the room, and the sound of people and furniture being pushed roughly out of the way.

'_They're here,' _I thought to myself_._

As the door opened and the two black-clad and masked men rushed in, Sookie sprang into action faster than I could possibly have imagined. Holding out both hands she had them pinned against the wall with an invisible force-field. The only evidence of how she was doing it was the blue light which seemed to be coming from her hands.

Mr C rushed in next. I was so pleased to see him that I forgot I was wearing only my panties as I launched myself into his arms. He sure looked surprised at first, but he held me tight which made me feel a lot better. I was going to have to find out his first name, I decided.

I was even more glad he was holding me when he was followed into the room by two Weres from the Mesquite chapter of the Dallas pack. I knew them both by their reputations, and they weren't good. My new found hero managed to pick up a robe, which he deftly wrapped around me as he set me down.

"Take them to the safe house," he ordered the Weres. They didn't like taking orders from a Demon that was for sure, you could tell by their faces. "I don't care what you do, just make sure they are still alive and capable of speech. The Viking wishes to interrogate them and find out who sent them."

_If I was one of our assailants I would rather face the Weres any day_, I thought.

"You have done well, my dear," Mr Cataliades said turning to me. "You both have. I'm impressed by how well your powers have developed, Mrs Northman."

Sookie gave me a hug. "I guess we're back in your debt again," she said, but she didn't seem to mind.

"No, you're not. It's like you said last night, if you care about people you should help them when they need it, not because you expect something in return."

Mr Cataliades beamed at me. "How very human of you my dear. I hope you are glad you changed your mind."

I stared at him. "How did you know?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"I'm a lawyer. I may not read minds in quite the way Mrs Northman does, but I know when someone has something to hide and when they are lying. I know you thought about betraying Sookie and claiming the reward. I am sure that she knows too."

Nothing could have made me feel worse. Sookie had been so kind. Now she knew what a bitch I was.

"Luna, sweetie, you only thought about it. I'm sure you never really meant to go through with it. Hell, I've been poor. There are times I would have sold my brother for that kind of money. Mind you if you knew Jason, there are times he would have deserved it." She laughed and gave my hand a little squeeze. She spoke again, her voice was low and sad, "I also know what its like to let someone down, not to be there when they really need you."

Mr Cataliades broke the awkward silence that had filled the room. "Well we will say no more of it. I suggest you both get dressed. We should return to the hotel. I think that cocktails are in order don't you?"

They served a mean champagne cocktail in the hotel bar. I was on my third when Sookie's cell rang.

"Eric's back, lets go upstairs."

The vampire we found pacing the floor of the living room was not happy. He was looking a little disheveled, and I was sure I could see flecks of blood on his vest.

"Did they talk?" Sookie's tone was harsh, and she must have realized that I was shocked to hear it.

"Believe me, Luna, if you'd been through some of the things I've been through recently, you wouldn't have much sympathy for these people."

"No, they didn't talk. We put a lot of …..pressure on them," Eric's face made it clear that things had gotten painful, "all we know is that they were in town with the Arizona delegation."

"Well I guess we can cross Arizona off our Christmas Card List. Did you kill them?"

"No." He looked disappointed – no surprise there. "Stan wouldn't let me, he was worried about the consequences. Now I need a shower, then we have to get out of here, care to help me lover?" He was transformed from a dangerous predator into a doting husband. Sookie rolled her eyes and followed him into the bathroom, motioning for us to take a seat.

I switched on the TV with the volume up. I had a feeling things were going to get pretty steamy, and with my hearing, I would pick up every detail if I didn't drown it out.

It turned out Mr C, or Leo as he asked me to call him, loved Judge Judy. We found some re-runs to watch. He took it terribly seriously, questioning her interpretations and pointing out what he would have done differently.

We were creating our own Judge show for supes, when Eric sauntered back into the room, looking for the clothes that he had carelessly scattered around. He was naked, and we got to make our own judgment on the legendary Northman body. I can tell you it's every bit as magnificent as you would imagine.

The sight of him seemed to give Leo ideas, as his hand began to travel up my leg, under my skirt. "Leo, please, you said we couldn't, you know, until after the trial." I slapped him a way with just a little reluctance.

"I'm sorry, my dear, I don't know what came over me. I have been thinking though. I will need to spend some time in Dallas, preparing the case. Perhaps I should rent an apartment, what do you think?"

Naturally I thought it was a great idea. Anything to get me out of that hell-hole I called a home right now. That wasn't fair though, I genuinely liked him and enjoyed his company. His dry sense of humor helped of course, but mainly it was the kindness underneath his formal manners. The thought of spending time together made me feel good.

Perhaps my life wasn't going to turn out so badly after all.


End file.
